Stacey Makes It

Thought I'd make something easy. Stacey's Dark Chocolate Pretzel Sticks Ingredients: 60% El Rey Dark Chocolate couverture Organic Turbinado Sugar crystals Honey Wheat Pretzel sticks from Trader Joe's I tempered the dark chocolate and dipped the pretzels into it.  Then I sprinkled them with the turbinado sugar. Ta-dah!

It was my boyfriend's birthday today so I thought I'd make something a little bit different.  Figured I'd try out some sort of coconut cake.  Stacey's Coconut Cake Ingredients: 1 1/2c unbleached white flour, organic 1/2c brown rice flour, organic 2 tbs cornstarch 1 1/2c sugar, organic 1 tsp salt 2 tsp baking powder 3/4c coconut flakes 1 1/2c lite coconut milk 1/4c coconut oil 1/4c canola oil 2 eggs First I preheated the oven to 350F.  Then, I mixed the dry ingredients together. I melted the coconut oil, then added it to the canola, coconut milk, and eggs and whisked everything together with a fork.  I poured the wet ingredients into the dry and mixed everything up.  I didn't want too much cake for home, since it was just my boyfriend and I eating it, so I poured about 1.5-2" of batter into a 7x7" cake pan lined with parchment paper.  I poured the rest into another pan.  You can probably pour all of it into an 8x8" or a 9x9" cake ...

Typically when I'm dipping things in chocolate, I have a little bit of chocolate left over which I save for random projects.  This is one of those. I love coconut haystacks, but I often think they are too sweet and kind of ugly.  In this version, I was going for something more light and flaky... elegant, if you will. ;) These are guestimates since I was using ingredients that I just had around. 4-6oz chocolate couverture (mix of milk, dark) 1 to 1 1/2c coconut chips, unsweetened, organic ( NutsOnline.com's version is my favorite) First I toasted the coconut - you have to watch it in the toaster and be really careful when you do this.  Coconut is like tissue paper and burns REALLY fast. What you want is for it to be a nice golden brown and crunchy.  I usually put my toaster oven on 300F and do 5 minute increments, stirring it in between so that it browns evenly.  Somewhere around 10 minutes mine is done, but it might take longer depending on your tray size,...

If you love coconut and chocolate, you'll love these moist, chewy cookies.  I used to work with Jeff Ma at Protrade and Citizen Sports  and one day he asked me to make something with coconut in it, so he likes to say that he helped me come up with the recipe. :D  It was always his favorite cookie in my arsenal.  I also used to make these when I had my farmer's market stand in Millbrae. Stacey's Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookie Ingredients:   1c+2tbs sugar, organic 1 1/4c brown sugar, organic 1c butter, salted, organic (2 sticks) 1/2c coconut milk, organic (regular, aka not low-fat, is best) 2 eggs, organic 2 tsp vanilla bean paste 2c unbleached white flour, organic 1 1/2c whole wheat flour, organic (I always throw some whole wheat in to get some whole grains in, but you can use all unbleached white if you prefer) 2tbs cornstarch 1 1/4 tsp baking soda 1 1/2 tsp baking powder 1 1/2 tsp salt 1c shredded coconut, organic 2 1/2c Guittard semi-sweet chocolate chips ...